The UK's top locations for cherry blossom trees

As winter fades away, the UK's streets and parks come alive with delicate cherry blossoms, signifying the first signs of Spring for local residents and visitors from afar. These blossoms symbolise renewal and growth and mark the beginning of the Hanami season, a Japanese tradition celebrating the beauty of nature's lifecycle.

Today, people from a range of backgrounds celebrate the yearly blossoming of cherry trees. You don’t need to travel to Japan to observe cherry trees blooming because there are locations across the UK where you can take a stroll under clouds of pink and white petals.

The wild cherry and the bird cherry variant are the most common native blossom trees in the UK along with 323 other indigenous blossom tree varieties. As of February 2024, over 7,500 Sakura trees have been planted in over 900 locations across the UK. 

The limited duration of these trees in bloom invites people to enjoy them while they can, encouraging walks or picnics under the blossoms.

With this in mind, Kelly Loves has collated data from The Sakura Cherry Tree Project to determine which locations across the UK have the highest number of Sakura cherry blossom trees, the Japanese variant of cherry blossoms, in the UK.

The data was collected ahead of Hanami for those keen to embrace the first signs of spring and join in the Japanese tradition of admiring the beauty of these seasonal trees. Here’s what we found.

Key findings

• The UK’s top three locations for cherry blossom trees are Derbyshire, Greater London and Greater Manchester 
• Derbyshire holds the top spot for Sakura Cherry Blossom trees in the UK, with the county adorned with 107 trees
• Greater London has 90 Sakura Blossom trees which can be found in picnic hotspots like Regent's Park and Bushy Park.
• 50 Sakura trees can be found in Greater Manchester, more specifically in Swinton, Pendlebury and Daubhill
• Hampshire, Newport and County Londonderry have the least amount of cherry blossom trees with 11 trees in each area

If you are looking to celebrate Hanami and are unable to travel to Japan, Derbyshire, Greater London and Greater Manchester are the ideal locations to enjoy spring in all its glory. 

Where can I find cherry blossom trees in Derbyshire?

(AI reimagines Sakura Cherry Blossom Trees outside of Chatsworth House, Derbyshire)

This makes Derby a destination of choice for cherry blossom enthusiasts seeking the quintessential Hanami experience or hikers visiting the Peak District National Park in spring. 

Where can I find cherry blossom trees in London?

(AI reimagines Sakura Cherry Blossom Trees in Chiswick Park, overlooking London’s skyline)

Greater London is the second location with the highest density of cherry blossoms with a total of 90 Sakura Blossom trees which can be found in picnic hotspots like Chiswick Park and Hampton. 

If you’re looking for the boroughs with the highest density of cherry blossom trees in London, look no further than Redbridge. The borough is home to 11,564, and holds a third of London’s total cherry tree count with 530 trees per square mile.

Where can I find cherry blossom trees in Greater Manchester?

(AI reimagines Sakura Cherry Blossom Trees blooming in the city of Manchester)

This is followed by Greater Manchester with 50 Sakura Cherry Blossom trees, notability in Swinton, Pendlebury and Daubhill areas. The city of Manchester also has 17 Sakura Blossom trees, adding a touch of natural beauty and charm to the city.

The regions with the lowest numbers of Sakura cherry blossom trees

(AI reimagines Sakura Cherry Blossom Trees in Hampshire’s, New Forest)

Hampshire, Newport, and County Londonderry are among the regions with the lowest numbers of cherry blossom trees in the UK, as they each have only 11 Sakura Cherry Blossom trees within each of their respective areas.

Cherry blossom trees are adaptable to various soil types, including sandy and clay, but they thrive best in moist, well-drained acidic soil. However, the soil pH in the Hampshire area measures 8, which is alkaline, contrasting with the ideal pH of 6 required for Sakura Cherry Trees to flourish. This disparity in soil pH may explain why only 11 Sakura blossom trees have been identified in the region.

The Sakura Cherry Tree Project is a tree planting initiative in the UK symbolising the friendship between the UK and Japan, launched in 2017. 

(AI reimagines Sakura Cherry Blossom Trees along the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal, Newport)

Areas with fewer Sakura Cherry Blossom trees may lack the resources or projects to plant and maintain these trees. Implementing initiatives like the Sakura Cherry Tree Project could greatly benefit these locations by not only enhancing their aesthetic appeal but also promoting community engagement, tourism, and environmental conservation.

Methodology:

Our methodology involved analysing the data available from the Sakura Cherry Tree Project website to determine the number of Sakura cherry blossom trees per each major city, region and county in the UK. 

Kelly Loves, Asian food and drink retailer, gathered and analysed the postcodes for each tree and where they were planted from the website. We utilised the postcodes to calculate the counties with the most and least cherry blossom trees.

Data sources: 

323 other indigenous blossom tree varieties

https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/8wz27/a-typology-of-british-cherry-blossom